Nerve Pain and Paresthesia

If you’ve ever slept on your arm and felt a “pins and needles” feeling later, you’ve experienced paresthesia. Paresthesia refers to unusual nerve sensations, such as tingling, itching, burning, numbness or crawling. Sometimes, these sensations can indicate a much more complex underlying condition.

Causes of Paresthesia

Anything that presses on a nerve for a long period can cause the symptoms of paresthesia. Paresthesia may also be caused by conditions that result in nerve damage or entrapment. Some common reasons are –

Back and neck injuries

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Degenerative disc disease

Diabetes

Fibromyalgia

Fractures

Migraines

Multiple sclerosis

Osteoporosis

Restless leg syndrome

Rheumatoid arthritis

Vitamin B12 deficiency

It is important to visit your doctor if you experience prolonged or chronic paresthesia.

Pain Treatments

The treatment for paresthesia depends on the underlying problem. Your doctor will examine you and perform tests to determine the root cause of the condition. Pain specialists treat both the symptoms and the underlying condition with conservative and minimally invasive interventional treatments.

Some people experience pain relief with pain medications, antidepressants and muscle relaxants. In severe cases, steroid injections and nerve blocks may be necessary. Modern pain medicine provides several minimally invasive treatments, such as spinal cord stimulation and radiofrequency ablation for lasting pain relief. In more serious cases, your pain doctor may recommend surgery.

Epidural Steroid Injections

Epidural Steroid Injections (ESI) can treat inflammation associated with low back related leg pain, or neck related arm pain. These conditions result due to an inflammation of the spinal nerves caused by narrowing of the passages where the nerves travel as they pass down or out of the spine.

Nerve Blocks

Nerve blocks are injections of medicines that block pain from specific nerves. This relieves many different types of pain.

Spinal cord stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a pain-relief technique that sends a low-voltage electrical current to the spinal cord to block the sensation of pain.

Seek immediate medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms along with paresthesia –

Dizziness

Loss of strength

Confusion

Trouble walking

Difficulty speaking

Loss of consciousness

These signs could indicate a more serious or even life-threatening condition. In any case, chronic pain shouldn’t be ignored and untreated paresthesia can result in permanent nerve damage.

If you’re struggling with chronic paresthesia or nerve related pain, pain specialists at a pain clinic can help. Pain doctors offer comprehensive pain treatment programs to address the symptoms and causes of paresthesia.

To learn more about nerve pain management, talk to the leading pain management specialists in Phoenix, Arizona at Pain and Spine Clinics; call 480-565-7246 TODAY. Pain specialists can accurately diagnose your pain and design a customized treatment plan to address your pain issue.